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Monday, September 30, 2013

Today is Ask a Stupid Question Day. This day is sometimes celebrated on the last school day of September and was created as a way for teachers to get students to ask more questions. Whether questions be silly, not well thought out, or just plain stupid - everyone is encouraged to go out today and ask questions about anything. For adults, we can ask questions too. Why is fizzy yellow beer supposed to be ice cold? Why is craft beer more expensive than regular beer? Whatever question you have, perhaps the answer may inspire you to keep asking questions. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Monday, September 30th, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Denver) - The brewery announced Sunday that they will be moving their taproom and brewing operations to The Source this Friday, October 4th at 3:00pm and will hold a celebratory toast at 6:00pm! For those not familiar with The Source, it is an artisanal market located inside of a 26,000-square-foot brick building built in the late 1800′s at 3350 Brighton Blvd. their new neighbors include two restaurants (Comida and Acorn), Babette’s Artisan Bakery, Boxcar Coffee Roasters, Meathead, CapRock Farm Bar, Mondo Market, Proper Pour, Collegiate Peaks Bank, and an art gallery. The new taproom will be significantly larger than their current one, but it will still retain an intimate feel and will give guests a front row seat to our custom brewhouse built by Metalcraft Fabrication out of Portland, Oregon. Additionally, the new taproom and brewhouse will allow them to serve a broader horizon of beers and give them room for more experimentation and collaborations. When The Source taproom opens Crooked Stave will be closing the Barrel Cellar taproom for the time being. They are not sure about the future of the Barrel Cellar taproom at this time.

Great American Beer Festival (Denver) - Just 10 more days until GABF!Hops & Pie (Denver) - Hops & Pie is preparing a line-up of events during the 2013 GABF. They have events starting on Oct. 6th and lasting through Oct. 11th. Starting off on Sunday Oct 6th: Denver's Littlest Big Unofficial GABF Kickoff Party featuring the beers of Firestone Walker. Wednesday October 9th it's a featured breweries event featuring the beers of Crooked Stave, Jester King, Perennial, Jolly Pumpkin and Prairie (11:00am start). Then on Thursday, Oct. 10th: another "Until the Beer Kicks" event featuring the beers of Sun King (6 different brews). Then wrap it up on Friday Oct. 11th with a mini-takeover from Cigar City Brewing (6 different brews). Specials every day Tuesday through Sunday that week. Hops & Pie is a sponsor of Fermentedly Challenged. (Click poster to enlarge for more details)

TRVE Brewing (Denver) - Today the brewery posted that they are brewing the first half of their "Doombier" - a 5% ABV blackened grätzer brewed just for Denver Doom Fest. This beer will be available October 11th and 12th at 3 Kings Tavern and their taproom. TRVE and the Doom Fest are gonna be a great getaway from the GABF chaos. TRVE says "Get stoked!"

Lone Tree Brewing Company (Lone Tree) - Today is Growler Monday and if you bring in your empty LTBC growler you can get a big discount on fills. Also, tomorrow they will be tapping their "West Green Hopped IPA" and celebrate their assistant brewers birthday. Also look for some shiny new additions in the brewhouse.

Brewery Rickoli (Wheat Ridge) - Still looking for GABF tickets? Here's your chance. Each night starting tonight through Thursday they will be giving out raffle tickets for a chance to win a pair of tickets each night. If you buy a full-priced pint between opening and 7:25pm each night you get a ticket for the drawing. They drawing will be held at 7:30pm each night. A different GABF session will be drawn for each night. Good luck.

CAUTION: Brewing Co (Denver) - Start planning for October 5th now as they will be hosting a GABF Pre-Party from 12pm to 8pm this Saturday. They will be giving away tickets to the GABF plus having two beer tappings: a Curry Pumpkin Ale, and a firkin re-release of The Earl. They'll have food from The Orange Crunch on hand plus live music from Indigent Row as well.

Parry's Pizza (Greenwood Village & Highlands Ranch) - During the entire month of October you'll have the opportunity to try their Chocolate & Beer pairing. Grab a Denver Beer Co's Graham Cracker Porter paired with The Chocolate Therapist's Dark Chocolate Chai Meltaways. It's a menu specialty - be sure to order this pairing during your next visit.

Arvada Beer Co (Arvada) - This week their Olde Town Brown and Goldline IPA is returning to the tap lines. Plus, this Thursday's Brewers Limited Reserve will be another batch of their popular Butter Pecan Brown. They'll be making a barrel of it so you can also fill your growlers.

Boulder County

West Flanders Brewing Co (Boulder) - Due to a recent service sting operation, West Flanders is temporarily unable to serve alcohol for a few days. In the meantime, they are offering 25% off all lunch and dinner menu items on September 30th, October 1st & 2nd, 2013. Their new chef, Anthony Hessel, has created a brand new menu and there's no better time to give this menu a try.

BRU handbuilt ales & eats (Boulder) - BRU has released their event schedule for the GABF. Oct. 2nd Beers and Brats - a night full of $2 Tamarind Brown Ale & bratwurst specials. Oct. 3rd dress up your growlers and yourself! Lederhosen and growler costume prizes will be awarded at 7pm with $3 beer & food specials all night. Oct. 4th get a complimentary handbuilt ale to GABF ticket holders. Oct. 5th a night of Steins and Staches. Offering $8 Stein fills (no matter the size) for those that bring in their own stein and prizes for those with the best facial hair. Oct. 6th a special tapping of the Belgian Style Imperial Stout, Oct. 7th a special tapping of Sasquash Pumpkin Porter. Oct. 8th brings a special beer dinner at the brewery. Then on Oct. 9th a special BRU Flight Tasting of the five GABF beers alongside small bits and a brewery tour. Then during GABF, a special contest for attendees wearing their BRU gear. Each person will receive a complimentary beer at the BRUpub after posting a pic of themselves and their BRU shirt or hat at the GABF with the hashtag #BRUatGABF. Just stop by booth E3 for your complimentary beer card.

The Industrial Revolution Brewing Co (Erie) - Out of the blue comes word that a new brewery is setting their Grand Opening for this Saturday, October 5th from 12pm to 10pm. The Industrial Revolution Brewing Company will open with 5 beers on tap including: an American Ale, an Orange Cream Ale, a Chamomile Wheat, a Vanilla Porter, and an English Brown. The brewery is located at: 285 Cheeseman Street in Erie, CO. Visit them on Facebook. They've supposedly been working on opening since mid last year.

Bootstrap Brewing (Niwot) - Stop in for Open Mike Night at Bootstrap at 6pm. For those of you who know Kristy, tonight is her last night as she is leaving to start up her own business. Come wish her well.

Wild Woods Brewery (Boulder) - The brewery will soon be increasing their brewing capacity and upgrading from a 2 Barrel to a 7 Barrel system! It should be up and running by early 2014. The brewhouse is also being manufactured right here in Colorado! They look forward to brewing a lot more beer, participating in more events and festivals, and increasing their keg distribution.

Fate Brewing Co (Boulder) - Have you tried their #Oktoberfest line-up of beers yet? They've tapped an Oktoberfest, a Doppelbock and an Eisbock. Get your German on before the season is over!

Northern Colorado

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - With the GABF just around the corner, Grimm Bros has released a list of special brews they will be tapping for GABF Week at their tap room. These are beers that either haven't been around for a while or have been stored away for special occasions. Starting next week look for these to be on tap: Mon. Oct 7th - Devil's Riddle Bourbon Barrel-aged Old Ale, Tue. Oct 8th - Once Upon a Time Reserve Single Barrel Sour, Wed. Oct 9th - Baron Berliner Weisse w/ Colorado simple syrups, Thu. Oct. 10th - Barrel-aged Wee Heavy, Fri. Oct 11th - Weihnachtsbier (weizenbock), Sat. Oct 12th - 13th Door Barley Wine 2013 w/ German specialty malts, and Sun. Oct 13th - Big Bad Wolf Sticke Alt 2012. These are very limited amounts available from their cellar.

New Belgium (Ft. Collins) - [Press Release] With fall officially here and pumpkin beers flying off the shelves, New Belgium decided to challenge other pumpkin-beer-making, craft brewers to a carving contest. New Belgium and six craft breweries have put their knife skills to the test and the final pumpkins for The Big Craft CarveOff are on display at NewBelgium.com/CraftCarveOff. Public voting for the favorite begins October 3 and runs through October 15 at Eater.com. New Belgium will donate $5,000 to a charity of the winner’s choice. New Belgium’s carved entry celebrates its current seasonal release, Pumpkick Ale. Pumpkick is brewed with plenty of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, but it is the healthy dose of cranberries that really makes it stand out. Other breweries participating in the carving contest include: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Cigar City Brewing, Cambridge Brewing Company, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and Schlafly Beer. To keep up with the contest, you can follow the hashtag #CraftCarveOff on Twitter and Instagram. New Belgium will also post updates at http://www.newbelgium.com/CraftCarveoff, on Facebook and on Twitter @NewBelgium. If you have a pumpkin you’d like to show off, use #CraftCarveOff to post your pumpkin pictures on Twitter and Instagram.

Mayor of Old Town (Ft. Collins) - Today marks the beginning of the annual celebration called "Tap Into Northern Colorado" where the Mayor takes all 100 taps and puts up 100 of the best beers from Northern Colorado breweries and features them for the week before and the week of the Great American Beer Festival. This event lets visitors get to know just how diverse craft beer from Northern Colorado can be. Even locals may be surprised to find some beers they haven't tried before. Stop in and check out the tap wall. If you wear last year's or this year's Tap Into Northern Colorado tee shirt into the Mayor today they will buy you your 1st beer!

Berthoud Oktoberfest (Berthoud) - Don't forget, it's still Oktoberfest season and one of the last one's of the year is happening this Saturday, October 5th in Fickel Park in Berthoud from 11am to 6pm. City Star Brewing will be there pouring their "Altoberfest", an Oktoerfest inspired ale along side with Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and their "Farmers Daughter" Oktoberfest lager.

Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins) - In honor of the upcoming GABF, on Wednesday, October 9th they are hosting a 1980's Themed Costume Party (the GABF started in 1982). There will be 3 main prizes for best costume and the crowd votes for the winner. 1st place is $100 Gift Card to BBB. 2nd place wins 4 tickets to the CSU Homecoming game, and 3rd place wins a BBB Skateboard deck. The voting starts at 9:00pm so get there early. Plus, that night they will be hosting a Big Sky Brewing Company Tap Takeover.

Kannah Creek Brewing Co (Grand Junction) - Stop in today for Firkin Monday. Today they will be tapping a firkin of Black Pepper IPA at 5pm. That ought to wake up your taste buds!

Crazy Mountain Brewing (Edwards) - The brewery will soon be canning a few new beers that used to be in bombers or draft only. Old Soul Strong Belgian Ale and their Snowcat Coffee Stout, both of which had been bombers and draft only will be getting the can treatment, as well as Lawyers, Guns and Money, their seasonal barleywine that had been draft only will be in cans. No release date yet, but stay tuned. Also, they have plans to start producing a 12 pack variety can case soon as well. This Friday, October 4th Crazy Mountain will be having the release party of their Rocky Mountain High Pumpkin Pie beer at the brewery. Kegs of this will be coming down to the Front Range next week.
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Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Here are some of the known Colorado craft beers released during this past week. While this list isn't complete by any means, it does represents a big chunk of of the 170+ breweries here in Colorado. The Summertime brews are now giving way to Fall and harvest time beers. Look for the types and varieties of beers to begin changing this month. If you spot something interesting - head on over to that brewery before it's gone. Please note that some of these releases are firkins or specialty kegs and may already be gone.

Visiting a brewery during festival season in Colorado is a great time, especially during Oktoberfest in September. Hidden away in a small business area in Niwot, Colorado is Bootstrap Brewing. This small microbrewery opened up just over a year ago in June 2012 and has become a gathering place for locals in this small community. I recently paid a visit to Bootstrap Brewing during their annual Oktoberfest celebration.

The owners Leslie and Steve Kaczeus rolled out the welcome mat for everyone on September 21st and put on an Oktoberfest celebration complete with an Oktoberfest beer, German food, and a live band on a perfect sunny day. There were plenty of people in attendance for the celebration.

The brewery is tucked away just off 79th Street in a small business area surrounded by homes. Leslie stated that their neighbors have embraced the brewery and have made them feel really welcome. Bootstrap has a decent sized tasting room split in the middle by the beer cooler and tap wall and bar counter. Out back is a nice open patio where you could soak up the sun and enjoy a brew and some catered German food.

Steve Kaczeus is also the head brewer and gave me a tour of their brewhouse. They currently have a 3.5 barrel brew system and several 7 barrel fermenters. They brew up double batches to fill up each fermenter. Steve stated that they are in the process of increasing their brewhouse space in the near future and plans are already underway to expand into the western section of their building and put in new 15 barrel and 30 barrel fermenters and obtain a bigger brew kettle.

Their cooler is already filled to capacity with brite tanks and kegs and with the upcoming expansion, they plan to put in even more cooler space on the west side so that they can expand upon their keg and bottle storage and offer more beers on tap.

On this particular day, Bootstrap had 7 different beers on tap and had handles enough to host at least 10 beers. Just tapped that day was their Oktoberfestbier (5.6% ABV). I managed to get a taster tray with all 7 beers. The others included: 1956 Golden Ale (4.5% ABV), Boomer Brown (5.1% ABV), Insane Rush IPA (7% ABV 60 IBU - a fan favorite), Bootstrap Black IPA (6% ABV 88 IBU - their hoppiest brew), Rum Barrel Aged Red Beer'd (5% ABV) and the hot Backfire Chili (4.5% ABV). My favorites of the day? The Rum Barrel Aged Red Beer'd and the Insane Rush IPA! And I simply have to mention that the Backfire Chili beer had a LOT of heat to it. Woah! So watch out.

Bootstrap also bottles a couple of their beers in 22oz bombers (the IPA and Chili beer) and self distributes to local accounts. They plan to bottle even more beers in the future and expand that part of the business once they expand. Currently, they are in talks with a few other local breweries to share canning operations and eventually can their beer collaboratively.

Once the expansion is completed, they plan to move their music stage back into a room that currently is used for their grain storage. This will help increase the size of their tasting rooms during the days when live music is playing.

Getting to the brewery is easy. Just drive along the Diagonal Highway 119 between Longmont and Boulder and turn east at Niwot Road. Then head east about 4 blocks to N 79th Street. Turn south and go just about a block and look for the sign on the east side. Turn into the parking area on the east and you're there! Look for the big BS sign on the side of the building.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Today is Crush A Can Day. Admit it. There's just something about crushing an empty can that is fun. Whether it be under foot or against your forehead. Crushing cans is one way to express yourself, compact it for better toting, or simply a way to relieve some stress. Just be careful when crushing a can and do it safely and be sure to recycle it afterwards. And with so many craft beers being put into cans these days, there's plenty of choices available for crushing once they're empty. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Friday, September 27th, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Diebolt Brewing Co (Denver) - Rain got ya down? No worries, stop in to their tasting room and try their new experiment-ale beer "French Rosemary". It's in the Herb/Spice beer category and reportedly a notch up from their French Thyme beer. Also, they have a new food truck tonight - Capt'n Crabby's.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Denver) - Sour fans take note! Crooked Stave's "Zeke's Belly Up Citrus Surette" will be released Saturday, October 5th at Mile High Wine and Spirits (Lakewood, CO). This limited batch came from a single barrel of 10 year Eagle Rare Bourbon with the loose idea of creating a whiskey sour. After months of aging they added juice and zest from fresh Valencia Oranges directly into the barrel. Given that this batch of beer was limited to the size of one physical 53 gallon oak barrel, bottles will be very limited. 28 cases will be sold at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday October 5th at $8.99 per bottle with a limit of three bottles per person. Orders will be taken and transactions can be made over the phone, but, given there are only two available lines of communication for this method, the store feels that the best way to purchase bottles is by arriving at the shop in person.Saint Patrick's Brewing Co (Englewood) - The brewery will be open this afternoon and evening from 3pm to 9pm. For those not familiar with their beers, stop in and ask for their free tasters. Located at: 4750 S. Santa Fe Circle, Unit #2 in Englewood, CO.

Black Shirt Brewing (Denver) - BSB has recently gotten together with Dunedin Brewing of Florida to come up with a special collaboration brew "Hoppy Farmhouse Red" that will be tapped during the Great American Beer Festival on October 11th. Dunedin Brewing drove out a portable 7 bbl brewhouse (wow) and brewed the beer outside at Black Shirt Brewing. You can watch it below or on YouTube. BSB has also released their GABF schedule of events that includes a Beerliner Pints for Prostates Fundraiser on Oct 8th, a Black Shirts Appreciation Party on Oct. 9th, a Country Malt/BSB Collaboration release of Sticke Altbier on Oct. 10th, and a 1st Anniversary Party with unique kegs tapped hours on October 12th.

Young Guns Dinner (Denver) - Normally I don't post about beer dinners in the daily news, but this beer dinner is so big and unique it is worth mentioning. The Kitchen Denver is planning to host a beer dinner with 5 breweries including Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Colorado), Jester King Craft Brewery (Texas), Cigar City Brewing (Florida), Prairie Artisan Ales (Oklahoma) and The Bruery (California). The dinner will have 5 courses, with 2 different beers per course. The cost of this dinner is steep ($125 per person excluding tax & tip), but the beers should be out of this world and beer geeks will want to grab tickets early for this one. You'll need to call for reservations (303) 623-3127. The dinner starts at 6:00pm on Wednesday, October 9th at The Kitchen Denver - 1530 16th Street in Denver, CO. Space is very limited - so book ASAP. To see a list of other beer dinners, check out the Colorado Beer Dinners page.

Freshcraft (Denver) - Tonight at Freshcraft they will be hosting a Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across America tapping party with 5 lines of Sierra Nevada beer. When you order one you'll have an opportunity to win some cool prizes as well.

Rockyard Brewing (Castle Rock) - Due to labeling issues, the Whiskey River Stout dock sale has been cancelled today. It'll be available next week.

Epic Brewing (Denver) - Don't forget, Denver's latest brewery taproom opens tomorrow, Saturday September 28th at Epic Brewing. They will have 25, yes 25 Epic Brewing beers on tap. The doors open at 12 noon. They are located at 3001 Walnut Street, about 9 blocks northeast from Coors Field. Epic Brewing also has a large Beer to Go cooler so that you can take some with you (22oz bombers or 64oz growlers).

Baere Brewing Co (Denver) - Their new brewhouse is on order. They're working with Wine Country Stainless from Lakeport, California to build them a 2.5 barrel brewing system, along with four 5 bbl fermenters and a brite tank. Look for more progress on this upcoming new brewery soon.

Yak & Yeti Brewpub (Arvada) - Adam Draeger has brewed up a beer honoring Bill Kazmaier, a former World Strongest Man. The beer is called "Bill Kazmaier Golden Strong", a Belgian-style Golden Strong ale that weighs in at 8.4% ABV and 25 IBUs. This beer is similar in style to a Duvel, Piraat & Delirium Tremens. It's on tap now at the brewpub.

Boulder County

Wild Woods Brewery (Boulder) - The brewery is celebrating their 1 year anniversary this Saturday at a party at the brewery starting at 1:00pm. They will be serving up a special anniversary beer "Big Bonfire", a 10% Imperial Red Ale plus bringing back their "Tropical Paradise" Imperial IPA with fresh mango and ginger. There will also be 10 other beers on tap including some 2012 Frozen Forest Barleywine. The party will have 2 Food Truck on site and an expanded patio with games. Free snifter glass to the first 40 people who order a "Big Bonfire". Plus, they will be going a raffle to win a pair of GABF tickets. The brewery is also ordering a new 7 barrel brewhouse. They plan to break out of the nano category and be able to send more beer out to more locations.

Avery Brewing (Boulder) - Since hops are harvested just once a year, so are the brews made with fresh or "wet" hops. Today at 5pm Avery will give you an opportunity to try two Wet Hop offerings: 1) Wet Hop Pale Ale with Chinook hops, and 2) Wet Hope Dark Ale with Columbus hops. Also, better get your tickets for the 2nd Annual Boulder IPA Fest - tickets are selling fast.

Twisted Pine Brewing (Boulder) - The brewery is unstacking their barrels of this year's batch of Reilly's Oak Whiskey Red this week and will be prepping it for release during GABF week (Oct 7-12). This beer was aged for a year in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels and has big notes of malt, wood and bourbon. Look for word on availability soon.

Upslope Brewing Co (Boulder) - Texas is about to become Upslope Brewing's first out of state distribution destination. Business is picking up for Upslope and Texas is seemingly a state where there is a growing thirst for craft beers, which apparently are difficult to make due to laws in that state. The distribution is primarily focusing on the Austin, Houston and Dallas areas. Upslope's recent brewery expansion in the spring of 2013 increased production capacity by 70% and is partially responsible for making this venture possible.

Northern Colorado

Oktobrewfest (Greeley) - Greeley's annual Oktoberfest celebration has a new focus on craft beer this year including a special VIP tent Saturday with nearly a dozen breweries pouring their best beers. The event takes place in Lincoln Park in downtown Greeley and runs tonight 5-10pm and all day tomorrow 11am-9pm. Fun, food, music and games for the whole family. For more info check out their Facebook page.

Wiley Roots Brewing (Greeley) - In anticipation for their Imperial Pumpkin beer release on October 5th, Wiley Roots is hosting a Bake-Off. Baked goods that include pumpkin can be submitted until next Friday. Categories: pies, cookies, bread/muffins, and cake/cupcakes. Awards will be announced at the release party!

Estes Park Brewery (Estes Park) - The folks up at the brewery want you to know that if you can somehow manage to get to Estes Park that their brewery is indeed open for business!

Mountains and West

Tommyknocker Brewery (Idaho Springs) - Just up the hill just off I-70, Tommyknocker announced they have their "Colorado IPA Nouveau" officially on tap at their brewery today. Stop in and try one and start off your weekend right.

Kannah Creek Brewing (Grand Junction) - Venturing out to Grand Junction this weekend? Stop in at Kannah Creek Brewing for their new seasonal - Oktoberfest Prost! It's there traditional German amber lager perfect for this time of year. Also, try their other seasonals: Indian Creek Brown, Single Hop Cascade (light pale ale). Plus, a cask of Unfiltered Apricot Bourbon Barrel Brown. Then on Firkin Monday, they'll tap a firkin of Black Pepper IPA.

San Luis Valley Brewing (Alamosa) - Two new seasonals just hit the tap lines last night. The first is their "Indian Summer Pale Ale". Weighing in at 7.1% ABV and 65 IBUs. The second is the return of their "Wolf Creek Winter", an ale built for long nights and colder days. Brewed with spruce tips and weighs in at 6.7% ABV and is available in 22oz bottles.
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Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog.

Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Today is National Pancake Day. A day to celebrate the flapjack, syrup and all the goodness of this special food that normally is consumed for breakfast. But pancake lovers know it can be enjoyed at any meal of the day. Wonder what pairs well with pancakes? How about a Breakfast Stout? Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Thursday, September 26th, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Falling Rock Tap House (Denver) - While Falling Rock Tap House is focusing on plans for the GABF, they are also making plans for what comes AFTER GABF as well. On Saturday, October 19th from 12-5pm it's the 8th annual Falling Rock Fresh Hop Fest. Come sample over 25 beers brewed with fresh harvested whole hops, in many cases these hops were added to the brew within 24 hours of being picked from the vine. This event will showcase beers from Colorado and West Coast brewers using fresh hops in IPAs, Pale Ales, Brown Ales, Belgians and Stouts. Only 250 tickets are available for access to these one of a kind beers, secure yours now because this will sell out. Proceeds from The 8th Annual Falling Rock Fresh Hop Fest with benefit the Colorado Brewers Guild.

River North Brewery (Denver) - Here's a GABF event for ya - how about an evening of Beer, Cheese and Enlightenment! It's happening at the Stapleton Tap House on Thursday, October 10th from 7-9pm. Taste 6 River North beers paired with a variety of cheeses. Attendees also receive tasting notes, a commemorative glass, and a complimentary "full pour" of the beer of their choice. Info and tickets at www.stapletontaphouse.com or www.rivernorthbrewery.com. Event located at: 8286 Northfield Blvd, Unit 1525 in Denver, CO.Rockyard Brewing Co (Castle Rock) - This Friday, September 27th from 1-3pm at 3130 Commerce Court and at the brewery at 880 Castleton Road after 3pm is their Dock Sale at the brewery. They will be selling 22oz bottles of a *Limited Release* Whiskey River Stout - a stout aged in Breckenridge Whiskey Barrels for 9 months. Starting at noon that day you can grab a bomber or a case straight off the bottling line. All proceeds are going to help aide the victims of the recent floods in Colorado. Cost is $9.95 each or $110 per case.

Odyssey Beerwerks (Arvada) - New on tap today, come try their "Xtinguish Saison". It goes well with early Fall afternoons and evenings.

Boulder County

Upslope Brewing Co (Boulder) - The brewery just tapped their Fresh Hop Ale. This beer is best when hops are at their freshest. Plus, it's the last day of their week long campaign to benefit local flood relief. Come drink for a great cause & enjoy tunes by Tyler Thompson & food by The Orange Crunch.

Osktoberfest (Longmont) - It's Osktoberfest weekend at Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids. This Saturday, September 28th from 2-6pm on their patio, they will be raising money for the Oskar Blues Flood Relief Fund. There will be special Oktoberfest firkins from Oskar Blues and Upslope Brewing. For the kids, there will be a balloon maker and a face painter. Plus, live music and custom steins available.

Twisted Pine Brewing Co (Boulder) - Come hoist a stein with TPBC this Saturday as they celebrate Oktoberfest at the brewery. There will be commemorative cups that will be yours to keep (while supplies last) -- $12 for your first liter and $6 refills of their Kölsch and the new Alt-r Boy, or any of their year-round standard ales. They'll also be serving up brats & pretzels while jamming to polka music.

Northern Colorado

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - Stop in today for the new release of "El Trigo", a Tequila Barrel-Aged Wheat beer. Then relax to the sounds of Danny Shafer on the stage tonight. There will also be food on hand from Chaulkboard Gourmet Express to pair your beers with. Then on Friday live music from Lunar Light Parade and food from Bedrock BBQ. Then on Saturday, come to the Windsor Rec Center to celebrate Volgafest from 4-8pm. Volgafest is a celebration of Windsor's German heritage and the German Volga traditions that have been around since the Germans first settled here in the 20th century. The celebration will include dancing, High Hops beer, food, and more. Admission is Free! Then stop back later that day to the brewery for more live music from The Feral West.

Trinity Brewing Co (Colorado Springs) - In addition to their own beers on tap, at the brewery tonight they will be hosting a Firestone Walker Night tonight. Featured FW beers include Velvet Merlin and the Velvet Merkin at 5pm.

Mountains and West

Steamworks Brewing (Durango) - Every first Friday of the month, Steamworks creates a new firkin with a unique twist to tempt you into their taproom. Coming up on Friday, October 4th at 3pm, the brewery will be tapping a firkin of their devilishly good "Diablo Negro". Steamworks Brew Master and Certified Cicerone® Ken Martin has taken the brewery’s seasonal Diablo Negro (regularly on tap through the fall) and kicked it up a notch in the firkin. “The Diablo Negro is the base beer,” said Martin, of the dark Belgian specialty ale. “It already has a rich caramel-like malt character with a tart finish and tropical fruit aromas. The ale is then re-fermented with black currants and dark sweet cherries, plus I've added a spice bag of coriander and allspice, and an oak wood spiral to enhance the impression of being barrel-aged.”

Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co (Glenwood Springs) - Come taste their special seasonal beer "Barrel Rolls Oktoberfest Lager". This brew was made with imported malts and hops, and fermented with German lager yeast. It has a bright copper color and a smooth malty character. It's an authentic Bavarian-style beer that was aged in cold storage for weeks. Stop in for a taste and pair it with one of their beer brats or a top sirloin steak.

Elevation Beer Co (Poncha Springs) - What available in their tap room? Plenty. They have an early release of their 2013 Apis IV (dark Belgian-style ale), plas the last of their 7437 Double IPA. Also available is their Little Mo' Porter, 8 Second Kolsch, First Cast IPA, Wild Flowers Imperial Saison, Engel Weisse Berliner Weisse, and Brown's Canyon India Brown Ale. Ask about their Firkin of the week too.

Crazy Mountain Brewing (Edwards) - Coming up next week on October 4th, stop in for a pint of their "Rocky Mountain High Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Ale. Their batch was made with around 400 pounds of real pumpkins (minus all the seeds and guts). This brew will be available only on draft at their tasting room and special bars around Colorado.

Eddyline Brewing Co (Buena Vista) - Come to the end of the (rafting) season Rib-Feast and Taproom Patio Party this Saturday, September 28th starting at 5pm. There will be 3 flavors of ribs, plenty of Eddyline beer including their Black Lager, brewery tours and live music at 6pm.
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Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog.

Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

[PRESS RELEASE] High Hops Brewery in Windsor, Colorado will celebrate its one year anniversary on October 18th & 19th with special beer releases, local bands, games, door prizes and so much more. Join us in the fun and feel good that $1 from each pint of High Hops Beer will be donated directly to the Weld County Food Bank.

The celebration will run from 4-9 on Friday the 18th and from 1-9 on Saturday the 19th. The anniversary celebration will kick off on Friday with music from Blue Grama Bluegrass and Matt Skinner. The party will continue on Saturday afternoon with a basketball beer pong tournament, open mic showcase and live music from Carlton Pride and Michael Kirkpatrick.

About High Hops Brewery:

On October 19th, 2012 the High Hops Brewery opened it’s doors for business in Windsor, Colorado, but the Weakland family has been brewing beer together for years. Pat Weakland has been a homebrewer for decades and taught his son Zach (Head Brewer for High Hops) all he knows. Together they have created a flagship line of beers that are garnering attention and winning awards, including the 2013 Gnarly Barley People's Choice award that gained them prestigious honor of High Hops Brewery beer featured on tap at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland.

The High Hops Brewery is not only family owned, but also part of a family of businesses located just off Highway 392 in Windsor, including The Windsor Gardener, High Hops Home Brew Shop and the High Hops Brewery.

High Hops Brewery - www.highhopsbrewery.com
Family owned and operated, with strong roots in homebrewing, High Hops Brewery will never stray from our ideals of using only the highest quality hops and fresh ingredients. The hops we brew with come from the fields that we grow on-site. We strive to create incredible beers by staying truly local.

High Hops Farm and Brew Shop - www.highhops.net
High Hops has the largest selection of Phyto-Sanitary Certified hop plants for sale. We can supply you with everything you need to start brewing beer or wine today, including a wide variety of grains and yeasts. Our crew is knowledgeable about homebrewing and offer Homebrewing classes on a frequent basis. High Hops Brew Shop is located within The Windsor Gardener, a greenhouse and garden center.

The Windsor Gardener - www.thewindsorgardener.com
With 100% of our plants grown in Colorado, The Windsor Gardener is confident we can supply you with plants that will continue to grow well here. We are excited to offer a diverse selection of annuals, perennials, vegetables, and herbs to help you build your garden. The Windsor Gardener is also one of the largest gift shops in Northern Colorado with a wide selection of gifts for everyone.

The Weakland Family:
Amanda and Pat Weakland began their greenhouse adventure in 1991 with Plant-A-Scape, a small seasonal greenhouse in Windsor, Colorado. Pat represents the third generation of growers in his family and grew up working in his father's greenhouse in Longmont. Amanda grew up helping on her family's farm and has nurtured a love of gardening ever since.

Since opening The Windsor Gardener in 2001, Pat and Amanda's children Zach and Rachel have joined the staff, making them the fourth generation in the garden industry. Zach is the head brewer for High Hops Brewery and has inherited his father’s passion for the brewing the best beer in Northern Colorado.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Today is National Comic Book Day. It's one of the biggest Geek holidays of the year. It's a day to celebrate that superhero in all of us and "Marvel" in our love of those graphic mini-novels that have been part of American culture for several generations. Only now, comic books are mainstream. What's your favorite comic book? How about "The Adventures of Beer Man". Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Wednesday, September 25th, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Lowry Beer Garden (Denver) - It's their final weekend of Oktoberfest and your last chance to throw on your dirndl or lederhosen and break out in the Chicken Dance at Lowry! For the final shindig this weekend, Left Hand Brewing will be on hand with Oktoberfest, Sawtooth Ale, Milk Stout Nitro, Polestar Pilsner, 400 Pound Monkey and Short Spear. The Continentals will perform live from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday and the Polkanauts will perform on Saturday night from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. So break out those polka shoes and get ready for a wundebar Oktoberfest Celebration - Colorado-style! And don't forget - if you are dressed in a German dirndl or lederhosen, your first beer is on the house.

Odyssey Beerwerks (Arvada) - For Wonderful Wednesday, Odyssey is tapping "Paper Cut", this week's Discovery beer that is a freshly wet-hopped version of their Hops, Paper, Scissors Red Ale. This brew taps at 5:00pm. The Corner of Gourmet will be there serving up inspired cuisine. And the The Prairie Scholars will bring their live music to Odyssey's taproom at 6:00pm.

Great American Beer Festival - Just 17 Days to go!Black Sky Brewery (Denver) - The secrets out. Black Sky Brewery is now officially OPEN!! This brewery combines heavy metal, beer and pizza and rocks out on all of them. The brewery is located at 490 Santa Fe Drive in Denver, Colorado. For now, their hours are Tue-Thur 11am-12am, Fri-Sat 11am-2am, and Sun 11am-12am. Closed on Mondays. They offer a food menu with pizza, grinders, pasta, calzones and salads. They list 5 beers on their website: Percephone (dark wheat beer with pomegranate), Black Light, simple sessionable American Ale (4% ABV), Demon Seed IPA (7% ABV 64 IBU), Denver Heavy Metal Saison (5% ABV, 36 IBU), and Fallen Angel Imperial Oatmeal Stout (8% ABV). Although at present they are only pouring guest beers. Stay tuned for their beers to be released soon.

Hops & Pie (Denver) - Don't forget this Saturday, September 28th all day starting at 12 noon, it's Hops & Pie's 3rd Anniversary Party and everyones invited. They've partnered up with Avery Brewing to bring an excellent selection of beers to pour just for the occasion. Avery will be bringing: The Reverend (2010), Uncle Jacob's Stout, Lilikoi Kepolo, Bad Apple, Wee Turtles, Trogdor the Burninator, Tweak, duganA, White Rascal, Cascade Hop-backed Avery IPA, The Beast, Chai Brown, Samael's, Odio Equum, Black Pearl, Thensaurum, and some other special taps you won't want to miss. Also, the Colorado Craft Beer Show will be on site doing a live broadcast from 12-2pm (AM 760). Hops & Pie will be offering up some fantastic raffles & prizes. So plan to stop by 3920 Tennyson Street in Denver, CO for this big anniversary party. Come hungry too!

Parry's Pizza (Highlands Ranch) - Tomorrow, Thursday September 26th from 5pm to 7pm is an Oskar Blues Pint Night. Oskar Blues reps will be handing out one of their very own pint glasses to those that purchase an OB beer.

Brewery Rickoli (Wheat Ridge) - A special beer requires a special name. On Tuesday, October 1st Brewery Rickoli will be tapping their new strong golden ale called "Quicher Bichen". This strong blonde was brewed with tettnang hops and forbidden fruit yeast. It weighs in at 7.9% ABV and 25 IBU. Reportedly smooth and fruity. It's supposed to taste great so Quicher Bichen!

Ernie's Bar & Pizza (Denver) - This Saturday, September 28th from 2pm to 4pm at Ernie's is the Fresh Hops "Meet the Brewers" Event. Celebrate Colorado's harvest season and its most exciting and beloved industry! Join in at Ernie's Bar & Pizza on Saturday, September 28th and meet the brewers and reps from several of Colorado's best breweries. Ernie's will feature passed appetizers for those participating and an opportunity to win GABF tickets! Participating breweries include: Copper Kettle, Dry Dock, Breckenridge Brewery, Asher Brewing, Boulder Beer, Trinity Brewing, CAUTION: Brewing, and Elevation Beer Co. Located at: 2915 W. 44th Avenue.

RMCA Cider Tasting (Lakewood) - The 2nd annual Rocky Mountain Cider Association (RMCA) Cider Tasting will be held at the Cider Days celebration at the Lakewood Heritage Center on Sunday, October 6th from 12 noon to 4pm. Cost is $7.00 admission to the festival and $5 more for the cider tasting. The $5 ticket gets you four 2.5oz tasters of hard ciders from Colorado and Wyoming plus imports from England, France, Spain and New Zealand. The fest is located at 801 S. Yarrow Street in Lakewood, CO. More info at: www.lakewood.org/CiderDays/

Dry Dock Brewing Co (Aurora) - Now on tap - try their Colorado-grown "High Wired Cascade Fresh Hopped IPA". Made with locally grown hops. Fresh hop beers are only available for a short time every year so grab one while they're still fresh.

Rockyard Brewing Co (Castle Rock) - Today at the brewery they are racking beer out of Breckenridge Distillery Whiskey barrels into bottles. And on Friday, bottles of their Whiskey River Stout will go on sale at the brewery and will undoubtedly go quickly. Proceeds from this small batch will go towards flood relief in Colorado.

Barrels and Bottles Brewery (Golden) - This new brewery now has their kitchen open and is serving food along with their crafted beers. Check out their menu on their website: www.barrelsbottles.com or just stop by.

J Wells Brewery (Boulder) - For this Wednesday, stop in and get $1 off pints from 3pm to 9pm today. Try their Gitana Brown ale while you're there.

Northern Colorado

Loveland Aleworks (Loveland) - Looking for a Hump Day special? OK, here's one. How about this - Happy Hour until 4:00pm. You can get $1 pours of Belgo Pale Ale until 4:00pm. A good reason as any to get off work a bit early today.

Broken Plow Brewery (Greeley) - The brewery owners have just taken ownership of their new brewery space. At long last the keys were turned over to them and now the remodeling into a brewery can begin. First up, the floor drains will be put in and then their cooler will be delivered. Stay tuned for more craft beer in Greeley! The brewery will be in the building on the northwest corner of 10th Street and 47th Avenue, just a few doors west of Papa John's Pizza. Follow their progress on Facebook.

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - If you bike in to Grimm Bros today you'll get $1 off your pint, or if biking isn't your thing, if you wear your Grimm Bros shirt you'll also get a buck off your pint. (Sorry, you can't do both for a bigger discount, but more power to ya!)

Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins) - And now for something completely different... Today marks the tapping of their new "Cerealiously" - a milk stout brewed with Golden Grahams cereal. You can get both a pint of this brew and pair it with a bowl of cereal to eat as well. The brew taps at 5:00pm tonight.

Southern Front Range

Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs) - Tonight's "The Giving Beer" non profit benefits Starfit Kids. It starts at 5:30 PM and runs through 7:30 PM, and $1.00 from every Trinity beer sold will go to this great program. Come out and enjoy some amazing beers while supporting our community.

Mountains and West

Crazy Mountain Brewing (Edwards) - Their Sticky Fingers Fresh Hop Ale has been released! And it's heading down to the Front Range. There are 13 accounts getting a 1/6 bbl keg of this fresh hop brew. These spots should be tapping it soon: Rackhouse Pub, Oskar Blues, World of Beer Cherry Creek, Colorado Plus, Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins), Mellow Mushroom (Downtown & Park Meadows), Euclid Hall, Cedar Creek Pub, Tap N Handle (Ft. Collins), Right Coast Pizza, West End Tavern, and Ale House at Amatos. Don't miss your chance at getting a pint of this once a year brew.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog.

Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Today is Bullwinkle Day. Back on this day in 1961, Bullwinkle the Moose debuted as part of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (cartoon). Too old for ya? OK, you can always celebrate National Bluebird of Happiness Day instead. Either way, it's an obscure day on the calendar. Why not toast it over a beer! Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Tuesday, September 24th, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Great American Beer Festival (Denver) - For those heading to the GABF this year, you may want some help navigating the convention center to find your favorite beer or discover a new one. There's an app for that! Today the festival announced the release of their "My GABF" app for 2013. It's available for the iPhone and Android devices. Track your breweries visited and the beers you rated. Scan all 3,000 beers by style. Take tasting notes. Even find breweries on the festival map. The final beer list will go live October 9th. Best of all, the app is FREE!

Copper Kettle Brewing (Denver) - Tomorrow, Wednesday, as part of their weekly Firkin releases, Copper Kettle will be tapping a firkin of "Nine Digit #45 Fresh Hop". It uses hops picked directly out of brew club member #9's back yard. It taps at 3pm and goes until it's gone.

GABF Countdown - 18 days to go!!Former Future Brewing Co (Denver) - It's been nearly 20 days since the start of their Kickstarter fundraising campaign. They are out to raise $20,000 for new barrel aging and wild/spontaneous fermentation equipment and adding additional capacity to their original plans. They need your support. They're just over 11% to their goal with just 10 days left. Help them out and get a unique thank you reward. Whether or not they reach their goal, they will still open up this Fall in Denver.

Arvada Beer Company (Arvada) - There's a bit of change going on at Arvada Beer Company. Recently, they have replaced their brewer and are looking to revamp some of their beer recipes and improve overall quality. Look for some changes soon to their recipes. Stop in and taste for yourself. Change can be difficult, but the Floyds are working on constant improvements ahead.

Hops & Pie (Denver) - The line-up of events at Hops & Pie during the 2013 GABF is out! They have events starting on October 6th and lasting through October 11th. Starting off on Sunday Oct 6th: Denver's Littlest Big Unofficial GABF Kickoff Party featuring the beers of Firestone Walker. Wednesday October 9th it's a featured breweries event featuring the beers of Crooked Stave, Jester King, Perennial, Jolly Pumpkin and Prairie (11:00am start). Then on Thursday, Oct. 10th: another "Until the Beer Kicks" event featuring the beers of Sun King (6 different brews). Then wrap it up on Friday Oct. 11th with a mini-takeover from Cigar City Brewing (6 different brews). Specials every day Tuesday through Sunday that week. (Click poster to enlarge for more details)

Dry Dock Brewing (Aurora) - What's a good beer to drink for the changing of the seasons? How about a stout? Dry Dock now has their Flight 19 Oatmeal Stout on nitro tap! Stop in for a creamy smooth dark brew.

Beer By Design (Northglenn) - Just a reminder, tomorrow is Growler Wednesday at BBD. You can get $2.00 off any growler refill at the brewery. There will also be live music to listen to while you sip a pint from David Booker that night.

4 Noses Brewing Co (Broomfield) - Progress is being made at the brewer location at 8855 W 116th Circle. They just took delivery of their stainless steel fermenters. The brewery is targeting late 2013 or early 2014 for an opening in Broomfield.

Baere Brewing Co (Denver) - This brewery under development has just ordered their one barrel pilot system which will arrive in November. Their full brewing system will also be ordered shortly. The brewery is still looking for a location in Denver and wants to open in 2014.

Rackhouse Pub (Denver) - Head to GABF Beer School on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at the Rackhouse Pub from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. This class will be on "Sensory Training 101" with Scott Kerkmans, GABF Lead Judge. What better way to get ready for the Great American Beer Festival than to learn from one of the judges? Join Scott Kerkmans, one of the first-ever certified Cicerones, a Lead Judge at GABF, and the creator of Colorado Craft Beer Week, at the Rackhouse Pub from 6:30-8:30pm for a full education in palate development, flavor recognition, style guidelines, and overall beer enjoyment. If you don’t know how to recognize these acetaldehyde, isoamyl acetate, diacetyl, DMS, trans-2-nonenal then don’t miss your chance to learn from one of the most knowledgeable sensory experts in the industry! Limited to 60 participants. Sign up online.

Elk Mountain Brewing (Parker) - Today is Growler Tuesday! Stop in and get your Elk Mountain Growler filled at a discount! Keep the beer kool with their new Growler Koozie's!

Gordon Biersch (Broomfield) - All Gordon Biersch drafts are $2.50 today, that included their new FestBier.

Boulder County

Gravity Brewing (Louisville) - Please join them in celebrating the changing of the season and the fall harvest. They will be tapping 2 German beers and a seasonal rendition of their Regular IPA along with some traditional German fare: Oktoberfest (Traditional Domestic German Style, Gravity's first Lager!), Steve - Weizenbock (Gold Medal Winner for German Wheat Beer at the 2013 Colorado State Fair), and Wet Hopped Regular IPA (Wet hopped with freshly harvested Organic Chinook Hops from High Wire Hops in Paonia, CO). Please bring your favorite mug or stein to be filled with fresh beer from the tap!

Left Hand Brewing (Longmont) - At long last, this Thursday, September 26th is 2013 Warrior IPA kegging day. It's their fresh hop IPA and it will be immediately tapped on Thursday. Come get some at the taproom. #CountdowntoWarrior. Also, are you still looking for a way to help the Colorado Flood Relief efforts?! If so, Left Hand Brewing just released flood relief pint glasses and stickers! All proceeds from the sale of these items will go directly to the 2013 Colorado Flood Relief efforts of the Left Hand Brewing Foundation.

Oskar Blues (Lyons/Longmont) - The brewery is still trying to get their Lyons and Longmont communities back on their feet after the devastating #COFlood, and if you would like to help, they have created the Oskar Blues CAN'd Aid Foundation to do just that. They're accepting donations to help the Lyons, Longmont and Boulder County Community Foundations get those towns back on track. Thanks to all who've contributed already, you're helping more than you know! If you'd like to donate, you can click the link here: http://foundation.oskarblues.com/

CHUBurger (Longmont) - Since the Oskar Blues' Lyons place is temporarily out of commission due to the floods, music nights have been happening over at CHUBurger in Longmont. Tonight is the Tuesday Night Lyons Bluegrass Jam and will be held at CHUBurger from 8-11pm. Enjoy some Oskar Blues beers and burgers and jam along to some great music.

Northern Colorado

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - In the spirit of Oktoberfest season, High Hops' Wednesday Firkin Release this week will be "The Destroyer", a Munich Dunkel. This is an Oktoberfest beer that holds true to its name. Every time it's been brewed at High Hops something gets destroyed in the process. They consider it as a sacrifice to the Beer Gods. Stop in and try this darker Oktoberfest brew. It taps at 5pm Wednesday, September 25th. Also, keep October 19th free on your calendar so you can attend their upcoming 1st Year Anniversary. More info soon.

Odell Brewing (Ft. Collins) - [PRESS RELEASE] In late September, Odell Brewing will release Fernet Aged Porter, a robust imperial porter aged in emptied Fernet barrels from Colorado distiller, Leopold Bros. “We have always been huge fans of Leopold Bros.,” said Brent Cordle pilot brew and barrel aging manager at Odell Brewing. “We’ve experimented with a variety of barrels, but Leopold’s Fernet was by far the most unique oak we’ve had the pleasure of working with.” Fernet is a dark minty liqueur made with herbs & spices and aged in oak barrels. Leopold Bros. has crafted their own unique recipe which includes lavender, honeysuckle, ginger root, bitter aloe, dandelion root, rose petals, chamomile, and peppermint. “Our Fernet is the most bitter type of Amaro (Italian word for bitter) that is prepared by steeping various botanicals, with a large proportion of bitter roots, in spirit,” said distiller Todd Leopold, “so far as we are aware, it is the first of its kind produced in America since well before Prohibition.” Odell Brewing began collecting the emptied Fernet barrels, as they became available over the past year, and filled them with a rich porter. The herb-soaked oak has a remarkable effect on the beer. With an 9.8% ABV, the roasty chocolate malt character is infused with hints of mint and licorice creating a decadent aroma and flavor. Odell Brewing and Leopold Bros. will celebrate their partnership with a special release party on September 26th at 7:00 p.m. at Freshcraft in Denver, and in the brewery’s Tap Room on September 28th and 29th. Fernet Aged Porter will be available in limited quantities throughout the brewery’s ten state distribution footprint.

Verboten Brewing (Loveland) - Tonight starts off with their second edition of "Name that Tune" with Franklin Taggart. Identify the tune and win prizes. Verboten will also continue their celebration of Fall with the release of Half a Million, a wet hopped India Brown Ale - this one is a brown ale/IPA hybrid. And... Bike in tonight for $1 off pints all night long.

Southern Front Range

Front Range BBQ (Colorado Springs) - Focus on the Beer (blog) is promoting another "Meet the Brewer" night at Front Range BBQ on Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm. This time they are bringing in Ro Guenzel, head brewer from Left Hand Brewing in Longmont to talk about Smoked Beer. He will be bringing along 2 smoked beers from Left Hand - Fade to Black Vol. 2 and Smoke Jumper Imperial Porter. They will also have a selection of non-smoked beers as well including: Warrior Fresh Hop IPA, Milk Stout Nitro, Oktoberfest, and Sawtooth. The event is free to attend, just pay per beer. Front Range BBQ is located at: 2330 W. Colorado Avenue in the Springs.

Mountains and West

Tommyknocker Brewery (Idaho Springs) - Tonight at World of Beer (Belmar location) there will be a Tommyknocker Tap Takeover from 6pm to 8pm. Come try a full spectrum of Tommyknocker beers. Located at 7260 W. Alaska Drive. Also, for those going to #GABF, Tommyknocker is grouping up with Denver's Hard Rock Cafe on October 12, 2013 for the 2013 Beer Breakfast at 500 16th Street #120. More details coming by the weekend.

Bonfire Brewing (Eagle) - Are you ready for this year's Mon of The Cliff? If your beard isn't ready, it's time to get the sharpie out because Man of The Cliff at Mango's Mountain Grill in Red Cliff, CO is less than four days away. There are a few remaining spots for competitors to sign up at manofthecliff.com, assuming throwing sharp objects while drinking beer is your jam. There will be plenty of Bonfire beer tapping this weekend.

Eddyline Brewing Co (Buena Vista) - The brewery is having its 2nd Anniversary on Saturday, September 28th. They will be grilling out, having a live Jug Band from Salida, giving brewery tours and tapping their Jolly Roger Black Lager! It all starts at 6pm. Come get your plunder on!

Brewdogs TV Show (Esquire TV) - There's a new show on TV debuting tonight called Brewdogs TV featuring Scottish brewers James Watt and Martin Dickie who travel to American and visit American craft breweries. The reviews say this show is hilarious. The show airs tonight at 10pm Eastern (check local listings for local time). Esquire TV is on the channel that used to be G4. In an upcoming episode they will be visiting Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont.
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Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog.

Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Today is Innergize Day, a day to take time for yourself and do something that will help invigorate, rejuvenate and do something fun. Granted, it may be a Monday, that that doesn't mean we can't do something for ourselves to make ourselves feel better. Do something for yourself to day and Innergize Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Monday, September 23rd, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Diebolt Brewing Company (Denver) - Get ready hop heads - Diebolt is brewing up a couple experimental batches today. 1st is a white IPA called Diebolt's International Ale and the second is a Double American Pale Ale called Magdalena. They're hopping to tap these over GABF week.

Epic Brewing Co (Denver) - Things are just about ready at the new downtown taproom for Epic Brewing Company. Their brewing operations opened earlier in the summer, but now the taproom is about to open this Saturday, September 28th. Come meet their brewers from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday. Stop in at 3001 Walnut Street in Denver, CO. (About 9 blocks Northeast of Coors Field).

Beer By Design Brewery (Northglenn) - Join in at Beer By Design tonight for the Broncos vs Raider game. They will serve up free "beer shots" every time the Broncos score a touchdown (must be 21+). Let's all hope for a high scoring win by the Broncos!

Davidsons Liquors (Highlands Ranch) - Davidsons is planning to hold their annual Cellar Release for the Great American Beer Festival week. They are pulling out beers from their extensive library of rare craft beers, all aged from 1 to 5 years. They will be hosting a sale spanning in stages over 5 days beginning daily October 5th through the 9th. Each day will feature beers from different breweries. Oct 5th: Avery, Boulevard, Left Hand, Oct. 6th: Dogfish Head, Goose Island, Oct 7th: Odell, Great Divide, Sierra Nevada, Oct: 8th: Firestone Walker, The Bruery, Port Brewing, Lost Abbey, Boulder Beer, Oct. 9th: Stone Brewing, Deschutes. In addition, other cellared beers will be available on a dry-shelf across from their bomber beer cooler doors. More info at davidsonsliquors.com.

Arvada Beer Co (Arvada) - Plan to join in at their potluck tonight starting at 6:00pm. Kick-off for the Bronco game is around 6:30pm. They will have Happy Hour prices during the game. They will also be giving away a pair of tickets to the Great American Beer Festival tonight at halftime. Bring a dish and enjoy!

River North Brewery (Denver) - For their Wayward Wednesday tapping this week, they've got a limited 10 gallon batch of a Double dry-hopped River North White. It taps at 3pm. Just think of it as a White IPA.

Boulder County

Crystal Springs Brewing (Boulder/Louisville) - During the recent floods, they received major damage to the lane up to the brewery which has impacted their ability to get beer to their customers. The other effect of the flood has been that work on their new location in Louisville has been impacted and they are not going to be able to open by the end of September. It is probably going to me more like mid-October. The flood has caused delays in deliveries, impacted people working on the brewery and caused them to be unable to work on it as scheduled. Rather than try to "push" getting open and risk not doing it well, they would rather delay the opening and do it right. Nevertheless, they are close to being able to brew in the new location and once open they will be able to triple their current production. They did start moving the brewhouse in the new location today!

Twelve Degree Brewing (Louisville) - There's a special going on during the Broncos game tonight. Get $2 off all growlers and to-go pizzas.

Northern Colorado

Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins) - Come watch the Broncos beat the Raiders at Black Bottle tonight. They'll have $1 off BBB beers and also $1 off well drinks.

Broken Plow Brewery (Greeley) - The current tenant is still finishing up moving out, and if all goes well this week Broken Plow Brewery will begin their build-out at their location. It's been months delayed, but there is hope that construction can begin by the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed Greeley!

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - Need to stock up on growlers for the game tonight? They will be filling up growlers for you until 5:30pm. Their Demi God and Nit Wit are both $3 off!

Funkwerks (Ft. Collins) - Celebrate the changing of seasons with a bomber of their special cellar releases like Dark Prophet, Deceit, Raspberry Leuven, Bastogne, Son of Nothing and Provincial. These are available in limited quantities and are only available for purchase in the taproom, so stop by the brewery pick yours up today!

Verboten Brewing (Loveland) - What's up at Verboten? Tuesday starts it off with their second edition of Name that Tune with Franklin Taggart. Identify the tune and win prizes. They will also continue the celebration of Fall with the release of Half a Million, a wet hopped India Brown Ale - they did small releases over the weekend and this one is a fantastic brown ale/IPA hybrid. Wednesday will feature the release of Most Irregular, their Pumpkin Porter. At 5 p.m. Verboten will tap this fantastic fall beer out of a pumpkin. They will only pour the from the pumpkin for the first half hour - but it will be on the regular tap all night long.

Odell Brewing (Ft. Collins) - If you happen to be at Sports Authority Field for the game tonight, you can get Odell's 90 Shilling and Isolation at the 50 yard line bar! Look for it and enjoy a real beer during the game.

Grand Lake Brewing (Grand Lake) - Bronco Football Special at the Grand Lake Brewing Taphouse. Pitcher of any of our brews and a basket of wings for $20!! Come enjoy the game in the comfort of the Taphouse!

Ska Brewing (Durango) - There's a new Ska collaboration beer being released this Saturday, September 25th, but in order to try it you'll need to fly to Stockholm, Sweden to try it. It's the new Skatkobben Ska Brew, an imperial pilsner that Ska brewed up with a local Swedish brewery. If we're lucky, they might just smuggle some of that back here to the states. Stay tuned.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog.

Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.